How Green Are Your Beans?

While I love buying fresh veggies at the farmers market each week, I don’t love forgetting about them in the refrigerator. Oops!

As you can imagine, after eating one (or perhaps two) too many ribs along with my amazingly fabulous blue cheese cole slaw (yes, the recipe is coming soon, I promise), oh and a fabulous flourless orange cake for the Labor Day celebration, I haven’t been all that interested in food these past few days (which is one of the reasons why this is my first post this week). Hmmmm. So when I opened the veggie drawer in the fridge today, I was sad to find that what were gorgeous green beans on Sunday looking a little less than stellar on Thursday.

Now can you guess what’s for lunch today? Green beans.

Not just any green beans. And certainly not overcooked green beans. And there will be no bacon in my green beans either. I am making sauteed green beans with toasted walnuts, lemon and Parmesan. It’s a contemporary twist to green beans almondine. And they are divine.

The toasted walnuts give this ubiquitous side dish great texture, a nice earthy flavor as well as a touch of protein. The lemon zest and lemon juice brightens everything up while the Parmesan provides a salty and creamy mouthfeel. It’s a great combination.

Serve this dish with a piece of grilled meat or over brown rice for a perfect vegetarian meal.

Sauteed Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts, Lemon and Parmesan

You could replace the toasted walnuts with toasted almond slivers or slices. Just don't overcook the green beans. I like an al dente green bean that is bright green in color. When serving, and if not vegan, add plenty of fresh Parm on top for extra flavor and not a lot of extra fat.

Course
Side Dish

Cuisine
American

Keyword
green beans

Servings2- 4

AuthorThe Cowgirl Gourmet

Ingredients

1- 1 1/2lbs.green beanswith the ends snapped off

1 1/2tablespoonsextra virgin olive oil

1/3cupwalnutstoasted

Juice and zest 1/2 lemon

2tablespoonsgrated or shaved Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a toaster oven, regular oven or in a skillet over medium heat, toast the walnuts until golden brown and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a large pot or skillet, add water (enough to cover the beans) and some salt and put on the stove to boil. When water is boiling, drop in green beans, stir and blanch for 1-2 minutes.

While the green beans are cooking, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over moderately high heat.

When the green beans are blanched, remove them from the heat, drain in a colander, shake off any excess water and place immediately in the heated skillet. Stir to coat with the olive oil and allow to saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until al dente or crispy tender.

Now that the toasted walnuts are cooled, chop or break them up and add to the green beans. Zest 1/2 lemon and add zest to green beans. Squeeze the juice of the 1/2 lemon in the pan and stir to coat.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt and toss well. Grate the Parmesan on top of the green beans and stir to coat. Taste the beans and add more salt, lemon juice or Parm, if desired.

When serving, add a few more drops of lemon juice to each plate, a sprinkle of Maldon salt (if you have it, otherwise, kosher or sea salt is fine), a final grate of Parm and a few grinds of black pepper.

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Buen provecho!

Bienvenidos a Mi Mesa

I’m Heather, a native Texan who relocated to Santa Fe, New Mexico, as soon as I could. A self-taught, multi-generational home cook, I focus on good + good for you recipes that also make you feel good. By using alternative ingredients (you’ll never miss what’s missing), this blog highlights gluten-free and lots of plant-based and dairy-free bites + sips, along with local tips for the best of Santa Fe.

My hope is that you are inspired to forage with passion, cook creatively and fearlessly, travel with abandon and celebrate real food prepared at home and savored with friends and family. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get cooking.